


All In The Family

by Magfreak



Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-14
Updated: 2016-11-14
Packaged: 2018-08-30 22:52:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8552602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magfreak/pseuds/Magfreak
Summary: After the birth of their daughter, while Tom and Sybil are still living at Downton and unable to return to Ireland, Tom's mother is injured. Having no other alternative, Sybil brings her to stay at Downton with them. Based on an anon prompt.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Here's another one-shot based on an anon-prompt: Something happens to Tom's mam, meaning she cannot be on her own (all her children have left Dublin.) S/T cannot return to Dublin just yet, and Sybil insists she stay with them to convalesce; she is after all a nurse. Maybe it's not as awkward as they thought it would be? Or maybe Cora and Mrs. Branson have more in common than they think?
> 
> So this is canon minus Sybil's death (i.e., she safely gave birth at Downton, Tom is now working there as agent, and they still live in the house).

 

"What do you mean she can't walk?" an exasperated Tom asked his brother Kieran as the two took turns pacing in front of the fireplace in Downton's library.

Kieran had returned to the house five months after his last visit, for Sybbie's christening, to discuss with Tom in person what was to happen to their mother, Aileen Branson, after a nasty fall had left her with a broken leg and unable to care for herself.

"What else could I possibly mean!?" Kieran returned, equally exasperated. "She can't get from one end of the room to the other without help."

"She's incapacitated, Tom," Sybil cut in, hoping to diffuse the frustration hanging over the brothers. "She can't care for herself—I don't think there's a better way for Keiran to put it."

"Thank you!" Kieran said, looking at Sybil, then back at Tom.

"So what does this mean, then?" Tom asked rubbing his forehead.

"She needs help," Kieran answered. "Someone to cook for her, clean the house and help her bathe—and there's not a one of us that has time for it. I've already been gone from the shop too many days as it is. If I have to keep looking after her until she gets well, I may as well sell my stake in Liverpool and go back to Dublin for good."

"What about Catie or Eliza?" Tom asked.

"This is full-time care mam needs," Kieran said. "They've got jobs, and they have their own broods at home to worry about. Not to mention the added cost of having to feed her."

Tom rubbed his face with his hands. "We'd go back in a second if we could, but the bloody Home Office will arrest me the second I set foot on Irish soil."

Kieran's shoulder's drooped. "Still?"

Tom nodded.

Kieran sat down next to Sybil with a sigh. "Well, it's going to have to be Mrs. Flanagan, then. She offered to look in on her several times a day—but only if we offer her some money. Not the best solution, but the only one we've got."

"That gossipy neighbor?" Sybil asked, remembering the seemingly unassuming woman who lived next door whose curiosity about Sybil, during the time that Sybil stayed at the Branson house, knew no bounds or good manners. "Do you really think that's wise? Aileen didn't seem to like her all that much, from what I remember."

"Oh, I don't know," Kieran said. "I reckon it couldn't be _that_ bad."

"Sybil's right," Tom said. "Mam would kill her inside of a week."

"We'll just have to hope she won't have the strength to do it with her injury, then," Kieran said. "We don't have a choice."

Sybil looked back and forth between Tom and Kieran. The answer was obvious to her, but neither Tom nor Kieran seemed to have thought of it. Clearing her throat, hoping that they wouldn't dismiss her offhand, she offered gently, "Well, actually, there is an alternative, a much better one."

"What?" Kieran exclaimed with genuine curiosity.

Tom watched Sybil for a long moment, and narrowed his eyes as he did so. She returned his stare unblinking. It was all he needed to guess at her idea.

"Sybil, absolutely not," he said.

Sybil rolled her eyes and let out a laugh. "Darling, it makes perfect sense!"

"What are you two talking about?" Kieran asked, still confused.

"She is coming here," Sybil said with finality.

"No, she isn't," Tom said.

"Here?" Kieran exclaimed. "But how?"

"What do you mean how?" Sybil said. "I'll go and fetch her."

" _That_ is most certainly not happening," Tom said, staring to pace again.

Sybil stood up from the sofa and put her hands on her hips. "And why not!? I am perfectly capable of caring for an injured person—in fact, I'm much more suited to the task than either of you, or have you forgotten I am war nurse?! I spent two years pushing large, burly men around in wheelchairs. I can certainly handle one small Irishwoman."

Tom's shoulder's drooped. "But darling, I couldn't go with you."

"And who says I can't make the journey unaccompanied?" She looked at both men, as if daring them to answer her question.

"Would you really be willing to do it?" Kieran asked. "Travel all the way there, and bring her back in her state? You know how she can be."

"Yes, I do, but I also know as well as you both do that this is the most sensible solution."

"And if she doesn't want to come?" Tom asked. "We should anticipate that her first response on seeing you at her door step will be to refuse."

"Then I'll entice her with pictures of the grand-daughter she hasn't met or buy her a wheelchair and tie her up in it." The shock in Tom and Kieran's faces at this last suggestion made Sybil laugh. "Honestly, you two, I know she's stubborn, but she's a sensible person—more so than either of you give her credit for, and certainly more so than you two are being right now. I'm going to go downstairs to talk to Mrs. Hughes about getting a room prepared and then upstairs to pack. I'll set off tomorrow."

"And Sybbie?" Tom asked as she was turning.

"Sybbie has plenty of keepers in this house and will barely notice I'm gone. Now, I better get started."

With that, she left, leaving the two Branson brothers scratching their heads at how easily she solved a problem both had considered unsolvable.

"Shouldn't she ask her parents if it's all right first?" Kieran asked Tom after a moment.

"Kieran, don't you know Sybil by now? She never asks for permission."

**xxx**

That night, as Tom rocked Sybbie gently to sleep in the corner of their bedroom while Sybil dressed for bed, they continued to discuss Sybil's impending trip. The topic had been broached with the family at dinner, and though Robert and Violet raised their eyebrows at the notion that another Branson family member would be coming to stay—and for some time—Cora was, to Sybil's delight and Tom's surprise, pleased with the idea and ready to make her fellow grandmother to Sybbie as comfortable as possible while she recovered. Tom wondered whether his mother could ever feel truly comfortable at a place like Downton, but he'd come around to admitting that there was no better solution to the situation than this.

Once Sybbie was asleep, Tom slipped her into her bassinet and joined Sybil in bed.

"Are you really up for this?" He asked Sybil, who snuggled into him as soon as he'd laid himself down.

"Of course, I am, darling," she said. "It'll feel good to travel after being cooped up in this house for so long. Your job gives you an opportunity to go out of doors, but I've barely had a reprieve from these walls since Sybbie was born."

"I don't mean just the trip, but caring for her while she recuperates."

Sybil smiled. "Yes, I'm up for it. It'll be good practice for when I go back to work, and like I said, it'll be nice for her to have some memories of Sybbie as a baby."

"What if your parents tire of her presence? They seem all right with it now, but it could be months before she's well."

"Well, then we'll move to the agent's house like we've been talking about and take her with us."

Tom laughed. "Do you have an answer for everything?"

Sybil propped herself up on her elbow and leaned down to kiss him. "Of course, I do."

**XXX**

The following morning Sybil set off. Kieran traveled with her as far as Liverpool and promised to be at the dock to greet them once Sybil made the return voyage with Aileen Branson in tow. Tom had wanted to accompany them on the journey to Liverpool and remain there with Kieran until Sybil came back, but Sybil insisted that there was no need to deprive Sybbie of both of her parents for the number of days—likely a full week—that she would be gone.

Robert wasn't particularly pleased about the idea of Sybil traveling on her own, but when he made his opinion known, Sybil blithely pointed out that she had already made the trip once all by herself while eight months pregnant and amid concerns about Tom's safety. Tom rather wished Sybil hadn't used that particular example as proof of what she was capable of, it also serving as a reminder to her father of how displeased he'd been with Tom. At the time, Sybil had given ample assurance that it was at her urging that Tom headed to Downton ahead of her, but Tom knew then as now that Robert's opinion of him, such as it was, would not be altered by things like facts, certainly not from the mouth of the daughter who defied her parents at every turn. In any case, Sybil paid her father no mind when it came to going to fetch the injured Aileen.

The early train ride to Liverpool was without incident, and once there, Sybil secured a ticket on the evening ferry. Despite the fact that she had once traveled from Ireland to England alone, making the journey in this direction without Tom felt a bit odd. On some level, it also felt like she was going home. Even if she had resided in Ireland only a short period of time, home was precisely what it had come to feel like, if for no other reason than it would always be the home of the man she loved. Sybil had believed, on her first voyage there with Tom—a much, much younger version of herself, even if the span of time between now and then hadn't aged her all the much physically—that she'd remain there for the rest of her life. Now, she could only hope that eventually Tom would be able to return and that Sybbie would know it and love it as Sybil had come to do so. Sybil couldn't guess at this point what the future held for her small, young family, but she hated to think that Tom, after all the he had sacrificed for her independence, might not be able to tread Irish ground ever again.

Traveling only with a small suitcase, Sybil found her way off the ferry and into Dublin easily enough. Tom had sent a telegram to Aileen the evening before, to let her know to expect Sybil's arrival, but hadn't said much more beyond that. Both he and Sybil assumed that Aileen would put and two together, and Sybil felt confident that whatever Aileen's reaction, Sybil would be able to convince her to agree. As Sybil neared the house, though, she couldn't help her nerves and wondered exactly what kind of reception Aileen would give her. The two women had come to get along well enough for a mother- and daughter-in-law who were equally stubborn, but it was one thing for Aileen to welcome Sybil into her own fold and quite another to be forced into the world of the Crawleys.

When she finally made it to the house, it was Mrs. Flanagan who let her in.

"We were starting to wonder if Tom's telegram was something of a joke," she said with a smirk as Sybil stepped inside.

"So she's awake?" Sybil asked, ignoring Mrs. Flanagan's greeting.

"Indeed, but I don't know with what energy. She's barely eaten all day."

Sybil shrugged her coat off and hung it and her hat up by the door. "Well, thank you, Mrs. Flanagan, for your help. I can take it from here."

"Can you?" the woman said, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"Yes," Sybil said firmly, "I daresay I can."

"Should I be back in the morning?"

"I think I can manage, but thank you."

"Now, what about Tommy? Is he coming back? Last I heard he'd been banished for good. I don't like to tell stories, but you know how people here like to talk."

It was all Sybil could do not to roll her eyes. "Mrs. Flanagan, I really am grateful for your concern, but I should go check on her now."

Mrs. Flanagan pursed her lips and said, "All right, then," and left.

Sybil let out a deep breath after she closed the door. She looked at the narrow staircase for a moment and decided instead to go into the kitchen for some tea. It certainly wouldn't hurt to go in with a peace offering. When she stepped into the kitchen, Sybil gasped audibly at the state of the room that she'd only ever known to be impeccably clean and strictly organized at all times. Obviously, Aileen's incapacitation was significant if her kitchen looked like this. Immediately, Sybil began to collect dishes in the sink, wipe down counters, sweep the floors and throw away half-eaten meals that had been left out for the flies. Once she was satisfied that Aileen wouldn't faint at the sight, about a quarter of an hour, Sybil gathered what she needed on a tray and finally walked up the stairs.

"I was wondering if you were going to come up at all tonight," Aileen said humorlessly when Sybil finally walked into her room.

Sybil smiled at Aileen's usual unsentimental manner. "Hello to you too, mam! You certainly are a sight for sore eyes."

Tom's mother was leaning back against the headboard of her small bed in her nightdress, her hair messily tied back in a long braid that came around her shoulder. Her legs were both under the covers, but Sybil could see that her left, made thicker by the cast surrounding it, was raised slightly, propped up on pillows.

Aileen sighed. "Am I? I for one am quite happy there's no mirror in this room."

Sybil set the tea tray down at a table next to the bed, poured a cup for Aileen and handed it to her as she sat on the edge of the bed. "I think you look fine given the circumstances."

Aileen smiled as she sipped her tea. "Your lot is nothing if not a bunch of false flatterers."

"I have a gift for you."

Aileen gave Sybil a skeptical look. "Oh, you mean other than delivering me from my current state?"

"We'll discuss that in a moment," Sybil said, leaning over to the tray once again, where she'd set a photograph of Tom and Sybbie from the day of her christening.

"Don't think I don't know what you two are planning!"

"In a moment!" Sybil said, taking the teacup from Aileen again and handing her the photo. "Here is your granddaughter."

Aileen took the photo and her standoffishness melted away in a second as she contemplated the image of Tom looking down and smiling at the tiny bundle in his arms. "Oh, isn't she a little darling! And Tommy looking so handsome."

"I know that he sent you the one of the three of us from that day, but I thought you'd like one this better. The photographer took it by accident, apparently, which is why he's not looking at the camera, but I rather like it and I thought you would too."

Aileen continued to look at the photo, and Sybil noticed a small tear make its way down her cheek.

"There, there!" She said patting Aileen's arm. "You'll see them both in a matter of days."

"Oh, don't be ridiculous, Sybil, I can't go to Downton Abbey."

"Of course, you can! If you mean because of your physical state, I plan going to my old hospital tomorrow to see if I may purchase a wheelchair, so transport shall be no problem. I've known people to travel in worse condition than you. If you mean for any other reason, including my family or your stubbornness then I assure that both such obstacles shall be easily overcome by me."

Aileen laid her head back and closed her eyes.

Sybil took her hand and squeezed it. "You cannot stay here. While you heal, you'd be too much of a burden to your other children. This is the solution that's most sensible, and I will not take no for an answer!"

Aileen raised her eyebrows at Sybil's firm tone.

"Please, let us do this for you," Sybil added in a more conciliatory tone. "You've done so much for us."

Aileen smiled at Sybil's sincerity.

"Besides, you've never left Ireland. How do you know you won't love it there?"

Aileen smirked. "You loved that place so much, you hightailed it out with the family chauffeur as soon as you were able. Not exactly a ringing endorsement."

Sybil laughed. "Fair enough, but it's not without its charms, and Sybbie would be very happy to have her Irish granny about."

"It would only be until I healed. However stubborn my old bones are."

"Of course," Sybil said nodding, "and with me on the job as your nurse, it'll happen in no time."

"We'll see about that," Aileen said with a sigh.

Sybil asked, standing up. "Well, you wouldn't be you if you weren't skeptical of my capabilities."

"I'm more skeptical about mine," Aileen said quietly.

Sybil sat back down and squeezed her hand again. "I for one would never doubt you."

Aileen looked, still unsure. "I suppose, then," she uttered.

Sybil's eyes widened in surprise. "So you've agreed?! I thought it would take me at least a full day to convince you!"

"It's either that or starve at the hands of Ruby Flanagan."

"She mentioned that you haven't eaten."

"Did she mention that she can't cook?"

Sybil snickered. "I understand we can't all be so good in the kitchen as you, but surely she wasn't all that bad."

"I'm asking you of all people to make my dinner, Sybil," Aileen said. "That's how bad she was."

"Heavens! I should be happy I've risen in your esteem as a cook, if only by comparison."

"Well, let's just see if you've gotten any better."

Sybil smiled and, after refreshing her mother-in-law's tea, headed downstairs to make something.

Alone again in her room, Aileen wasn't any happier about what would have to happen but she was glad that Sybil had come in any case.

**xxx**

It took only a few days to get everything sorted out for Aileen to travel back to England with Sybil. On the day of the actual journey, both her daughters and their families went with her and Sybil to the dock to see them off, making the day feel special—like Aileen was going on a holiday rather than to a place she'd just as soon never set foot in. Given that she was a fiercely independent woman, she didn't particularly like being pushed around everywhere or feeling like she had little control over where she could go and not go, but Sybil was more sensitive to Aileen's needs and qualms than Aileen had anticipated she would be and eventually, over the course of the day, the two managed to fall into something of a pattern.

As promised, Kieran met them upon their arrival in Liverpool, and though he'd intended to board them both in his flat above the garage for the night, Sybil insisted they press on to Downton despite how late in the evening they would arrive. She believed it would be easier on Aileen not to prolong the journey, and Aileen agreed, seeing no need to delay the inevitable.

Though she did not voice this particular thought, Sybil also thought it best to arrive at Downton Abbey too late for the family to make a fuss. It was likely they'd be preparing for bed, which would give Aileen time to get settled and get some rest before she'd have to contend with whatever the Crawleys would have in store. Sybil knew her sisters would be as accommodating as possible and would help Sybil in making her feel welcome, but Sybil also knew that her parents, and her grandmother, had a knack for offering greetings that they believed suitable but that any sensible person could see were little more than thinly veiled judgments.

So it was with great shock and considerable concern that Sybil wheeled Claire into the entrance hall of Downton Abbey with Tom, who'd met them at the station with Pratt—because there was her ladyship Cora Crawley, still dressed in her dinner attire, waiting for her latest house guest.

"Mama!" Sybil exclaimed, "You're still up!"

"Of course, I am," she said. "I wouldn't dream of not welcoming a guest to this house, no matter the hour. Mrs. Branson, we are so very happy to have you."

"Thank you, milady," Aileen replied, trying to summon what was left of her strength after the long, tiring journey. "It's very kind of you to have me while I am not at my best."

"We're absolutely delighted," Cora said with a bright smile and sincerity that had Sybil so taken aback she looked to Tom for confirmation that the scene unfolding before her wasn't a mirage of her own imagination's making. Tom smiled and shrugged in response.

"Not delighted that you've been injured, of course, but that you could come to stay with us. And please do call me Cora. I've had Mrs. Hughes prepare our largest guest room."

"Oh, that wasn't necessary," Aileen said.

"Well, I was only thinking that if you're confined to it for a time, at least you'd have a bit of extra space," Cora said.

"That was very thoughtful, mama, thank you," Sybil said, genuinely touched that her mother had put so much thought into Aileen's stay.

Cora smiled at Sybil's comment, then said, "I can only imagine that you're terribly tired and want to rest after the long day. Let's get you settled in your room. Mrs. Hughes can bring up some tea, if you'd like."

Aileen looked at Tom, who nodded as if to say, _Just accept the offer for what it is._

"That would be lovely, thank you," Aileen replied.

"How should we do this, then?" Cora asked looking from Tom to Sybil. "Can you walk at all or shall I call the footmen back to help?"

"I can do it," Tom said stepping forward. He pushed Aileen as far as the wheelchair to the bottom of the stairs and bent over. Before putting his arms around his mother to pick her up, he, of course, made sure he had her permission. "What do you say, old girl?"

Aileen rolled her eyes and pursed her lips. "Just get on with it, but I'd like to point out that while I am not a _girl_ anymore, I'm not an _old_ one either."

Tom grinned and without too much trouble gathered her into his arms and started making his way up the stairs. Cora and Sybil followed closely behind until they arrived at the door, and Sybil ran ahead to open it. The lamps were already lit and the bed made and turned down, so Tom let her down on the bed. Aileen grimaced slightly as she adjusted her leg. Sybil responded immediately, adjusting the pillows behind her and setting one beneath the cast.

"I'll go get the suitcases," Tom said, but as soon as the words were out of his mouth, Alfred came through the door carrying them and setting down by the door.

"Is there anything else, milady?" Alfred asked, looking at Cora.

"That's all, thank you, Alfred," she responded. Turning back to Aileen, she said, "One of the maids will be by in the morning to unpack for you."

"What?" Aileen said, a bit aghast at the idea of a perfect stranger getting into her suitcase and handling her knickers.

"That's not necessary, mama," Sybil interceded.

"Well, she's not in a state to do it herself," Cora said.

"Why don't I do it now," Tom offered quickly and went over to the corner where Alfred had set the suitcases.

"Thank you for all your help, mama, truly," Sybil said.

Cora narrowed her eyes slightly, sensing that her daughter was trying to get rid of her. "All right, then. I'll go check on Ivy. She's been sitting with Sybbie since Tom left for the station. Do you want to come with me to see her, darling? It's been several days after all."

Just as Cora sensed the underlying message in Sybil's words, so too did Sybil understand that there was meaning in her mother's suggestion.

"Of course," she said. Looking back at Tom and Aileen, she added, "I'll be back shortly."

"Take your time, dear," Aileen replied, "and give her a kiss for me."

Sybil smiled, then followed her mother out of the room. Once they were back in Sybil and Tom's room and once Ivy had been dismissed, Cora began, "Sybil, this isn't going to go very well if you keep reacting to everything I suggest."

Sybil crossed her arms. "And how exactly am I reacting?"

"Well, you seem to be pleasantly surprised that I would be so considerate of Mrs. Branson but also eager that I not say anything to her at all. I've been hostess to a great many sort of people. Why it should surprise you that I want your mother-in-law to have as pleasant a stay here as possible is beyond me."

"I'm sorry, mama, but if I have low expectations, it's because I know you never wanted Tom to be part of the family in the first place. You cried actual tears about it! So why would it surprise _you_ that I assume his mother might not be given the warmest welcome?"

Cora sighed. "I won't insult you by pretending that my expectations as to how your life would turn out were not quiet different from what's actually happened. But since you made the decision, I've supported you the best way I could."

"Not coming to our wedding was supportive, then?" Sybil said, rolling her eyes, not able to stop herself.

"I'm not saying I've done it all right—I _know_ I haven't," Cora said, stepping forward and tiling Sybil's chin toward herself so they could see eye-to-eye. "But I want to do right by you _now_ , by you and Tom and the rest of your family— _our_ family—and I want you to try to let me."

Sybil looked down and nodded. "Just don't . . . "

"Just don't what?"

"Don't be like you were when Tom and I first came back for Mary's wedding! Don't ask her about Irish gardens or whether she has something nice to wear to dinner or why she didn't bring more than one hat. _Appreciate_ that there are people who don't live like this and who don't need to be pitied for that because they like their lives just as they are. With Tom, you got it all wrong. Please don't get it wrong with her."

Cora's brow furrowed. "Are we still getting it wrong with him?"

Sybil smiled sadly. "No, but he's made concessions, for your sake and mine. And that's fine because he's my husband, but I don't want Aileen to feel condescended to. I know that I forced her presence on you and papa, and that I'm asking a lot, but if you really do want to engage her in friendship, respect who she is and don't assume she needs to be more than that."

Cora smiled and stepped forward to hug Sybil, a hug that Sybil welcomed and returned. When she pulled back, Cora asked, "Anything else?"

"Thank you for letting her stay. I mean it."

"Well, she is family."

Sybil smiled. "And thank you for saying that."

Just after Sybil had spoken, there was a light knock on the door, followed by Tom coming in.

"I'm not interrupting, am I?" he asked.

"No, I was just going to go," Cora said. "Do either of you need anything else?"

"No," Sybil said. "I'll just go help Aileen into her nightclothes."

"Well, goodnight," Cora said, heading for the door and closing it behind her.

"Everything all right?" Tom asked.

Sybil smiled. "Yes, if you can believe it. How is she coping?"

"Very well, I think," Tom replied. "She chatted a good deal with Mrs. Hughes, when she brought up the tea. Did a lot of asking about my days here as a servant and thanked her for her help to me."

"What did Mrs. Hughes say?"

Tom laughed. "That she knew I'd be trouble from the moment I walked in the door, but that she's happy that it all turned out well."

Sybil walked over to Tom to place a gentle kiss on his lips before heading to the door again. "She was right. You are trouble."

**xxx**

About twenty minutes later, Sybil was back in her and Tom's room, and Aileen was back in her bed and finishing her tea. It was late and she'd had a trying day, but now that she was comfortable, she didn't feel in any hurry to go to sleep. Having never been so far from home, it felt strange when she closed her eyes, as if the very air wouldn't let her forget that she was somewhere other than where she had always been. She was wondering what the rest of Sybil's family would be like when she heard a sound on the other side of the door.

"Is someone there?"

The door opened slightly and Cora peeked her head in again. "May I come in?"

Aileen wasn't sure what to make of this late night visit. "Of course."

Cora stepped the rest of the way into the room and closed the door behind her. Taking a chair from the table at the end of the room, near the window, she brought it over next to the bed and sat down. "May I make a confession, Mrs. Branson?"

"Aileen, please. If you really would like for me to call you Cora, there's no sense in you not calling me by my given name."

Cora smiled. "Well, then, Aileen. I must tell you that I am happy that the opportunity, such as it is, arose for you to come pay us a visit."

Aileen smiled. "You said that."

"What I mean is, there is so much that I have wanted to ask you and tell you, but I never imagined that an opportunity would ever present itself."

"I don't understand."

"To begin with, I wonder what you think of a mother that doesn't attend her own daughter's wedding."

Aileen brought her hand to her face. This was not something she was expecting. There was sincerity in Cora's tone and posture, but Aileen couldn't figure out, at least not right away, exactly what Cora was getting at. "I do my best not to make judgments," she said finally, "and honestly, Cora, I don't believe it does any good to dwell on what's in the past, whatever your reasons may have been at the time. I wasn't thrilled at the notion of their getting married either, for my own reasons that'll have nothing to do with yours, but they were resolved to do what they wanted and continue to do just that."

Cora smiled. "How very true that is."

"I can only imagine that my being here is owed to their stubbornness in some measure, so I'll apologize for the imposition."

"There's no need."

They sat in silence for a while. The ice broken between them, but an unasked, unanswered question still lingering in the air. Aileen ventured a guess as to what it was.

"I can tell you about it, if you'd like."

"Their wedding?" Cora asked with a catch in her voice.

Aileen nodded. "I suppose you'll have heard about it from your daughters, but it's not the same as through a mother's eyes."

Cora smiled, a light sheen of tears coming over her eyes. "No, it's not." She took a deep breath. "Please do."

And just like that, they weren't two women of differing social position or nationality or sensibilities. They were just two mothers.


End file.
